That scream in Roman Holiday as Gregory Peck pulls his severed hand out of the Mouth of Truth is real. Not only was she not expecting Peck to have hidden his hand up his sleeve, but Hepburn was notoriously superstitious. Ever the quirky individual, she repeatedly requested that her dressing room be numbered 55, the number she had been assigned in Roman Holiday, Breakfast At Tiffany's, and Paris When It Sizzles. She claimed it was her lucky number, though it can't have been all that lucky given the critical failure of the latter film. When she was nominated for an Academy Award following the release of Roman Holiday, she also requested that a dress she had worn in the film be adapted as her Oscar gown, dubbing it her 'lucky dress'. Perhaps she was right that time, as she won the award for Best Actress.
